The Agano-class cruisers (阿賀野型軽巡洋艦) were designed as a new generation of about 5,000 ton displacement ships to lead destroyer and submarine squadrons. They were conceived in the 1930s as a replacement for the aging Tenryū, Kuma and Nagara classes. Larger than these previous light cruisers, the Agano-class vessels were fast, but with little protection, and were under-gunned for their size. | The Agano-class cruisers (阿賀野型軽巡洋艦) were designed as a new generation of about 5,000 ton displacement ships to lead destroyer and submarine squadrons. They were conceived in the 1930s as a replacement for the aging Tenryū, Kuma and Nagara classes. Larger than these previous light cruisers, the Agano-class vessels were fast, but with little protection, and were under-gunned for their size. |